USDA Update - September 16, 2026

PROMO 660 x 440 Agriculture USDA Service Center Update

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

USDA SERVICE CENTER CLOSED - FSA Office will closed Tuesday, 9-15 through Thursday, 9-17. The office will be open on Friday, September 18.
CRP CONTRACT MANAGEMENT – Producers grazing CRP acreage to meet contract management requirements must remove the livestock by September 30.
SIGNUP EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2026 2023, 2024 and 2025 SDRP - Supplemental Disaster Relief Program – Stage 1 and Stage 2 and quality loss
LIVESTOCK FORAGE PROGRAM - Kiowa County eligible for 5-month payment. Apply before March 1, 2027.

VISIT Farmers.gov for more information regarding deadlines and programs available through FSA and NRCS.

FARMERS.GOV

Below is a screenshot from the bottom of the first page when you visit Farmers.gov website. If you enter your email address and subscribe you will receive emails when there is news added to Farmers.gov site. Remember, it’s the producers’ responsibility to be aware of programs that are available and deadlines. FSA employees are under no obligation to make phone calls or email producers to remind them of deadlines or programs they could possibly be eligible for. I admit over the past 38 years, Kiowa County FSA has done a pretty good job of ‘spoiling’ our producers

LIVESTOCK FORAGE PROGRAM

Every county in Colorado is eligible for the Livestock Forage Program or LFP. Counties trigger for LFP based on drought intensities off the U.S. Drought Monitor during the specific counties growing season for grazing annual and perennial crops.

Kiowa County has qualified for 5-month payment in the Livestock Forage Program or LFP; eligible producers must have control and risk in the two triggering factors.

Land - control and risk in native pasture physically located in a county that is eligible for LFP. All leased land will require a written lease signed by at least 50% or more of the current ownership.
Livestock - ownership, control and risk in livestock that normally graze the native pasture. Cattle located in feedlots are not eligible. Livestock must have been owned at least 60 days prior to the qualifying date of drought. Kiowa qualified on 5-26-2026; therefore, ownership on livestock must be 3-26-2026 or before.

Payment is paid on 60% of the lessor value, land or livestock. Contact FSA to apply.

SUPPLEMENTAL DISASTER REVENUE PROGRAM or SDRP stage 1 and 2 – signup deadline extended to September 30, 2026.

The signup deadline for SDRP stage 1 and 2 was extended to September 30, 2026. Producers who have not contacted their recording county to file an application will need to do so by September 30th. These applications WERE NOT mailed to producers; it is the producers responsibility to contact the FSA office to file an application. It provides financial relief to agricultural producers for production, quality, or revenue losses cause by weather-related natural disasters during calendar years 2023 and 2024.

Program Structure

Stage 1: Focuses on producers with indemnified losses, using existing Federal Crop Insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) data to calculate payments.
Stage 2: Targets producers with non-indemnified, shallow, uncovered/uninsured, or quality losses that fall outside traditional insurance triggers.

CONTRACT MANAGEMENT ACTIVITES

There are many producers who are having their CRP grazed for contract management requirements. The grazing for contract management MUST END on September 30 or before if the cover is not supporting the grazing. It is the contract participant's responsibility to monitor the grazing and contact FSA once the grazing has been completed and the livestock removed. There is paperwork that the CRP producer will need to complete to finalize the contract management, so please contact FSA when grazing is completed.

Again, contract management is a requirement on all CRP contracts (except Grassland CRP) and must be completed before the end of year six of the CRP contract. CRP contract years are not the normal calendar year; but are equal to the government fiscal year of October 1 to September 30. Failure to comply with the contract management requirement will be considered a compliance issue and are taken to the County Committee. County Committee can terminate the contract with refunds required due to lack of good faith on the CRP participants’ part.

Contract management can be completed anytime outside of the primary nesting season which is March 15 to July 15 .

STRIP TILLAGE

If producers are doing strip tillage on 51% of the acres, it’s always a good idea to contact FSA to ensure that all the necessary paperwork has been completed. NRCS maintains a list of contractors that can complete the activity. The list can be emailed if you contact the FSA office.

GRAZING

Producers begin the grazing requests with FSA, NRCS completes a site visit to determine if the land is suitable for grazing. If the land can be grazed, NRCS will complete a grazing plan and a revision of the conservation plan. The CRP producer will sign the required paperwork, not the individual with the livestock. It is the responsibility of the CRP producer to maintain compliance with the terms and conditions of the CRP contract. Once all the paperwork has been completed and approved, grazing can begin. FSA will issue final approval.